A True Friend
by Tempest S
Summary: When a young Sasuke finds a fox digging in the trash and takes it home with him, how will his future change with a loyal friend by his side through the hardest time of his life and the years afterwards as he tries to achieve his goal to kill Itachi?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto. If I did, he would be no where NEAR as loud as he is.

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><p>A young boy crouched in the shade of a giant oak. In his hands were two bowls, one containing milk, the other holding bits of meat with a few vegetables mixed in. Setting the bowls on the ground the young boy quickly scurried away to hide behind another tree.<p>

Peeking around the trunk the boy watched as a shadow moved in the bough of the tree. The shadow revealed itself to be a little red fox kit as it jumped to the ground to sniff the contents of the bowls. Satisfied with the food the fox quickly emptied the bowls and licked its chops clean.

Sasuke wore a gentle smile as he watched the fox kit eat. While he couldn't bring much at a time for it to eat without his father noticing, he still brought what he could and his constant food was starting to have a noticeable effect. The fox's ribs no longer stuck out and its coat was getting shiny and sleeker.

Sasuke was happy he was able to help the little fox. The first time he saw it the poor thing was all skin and bones, rooting around a trash can in the Uchiha district. Sasuke had immediately felt sorry for the little fox. Pulling a half eaten sandwich out of his pocket he had crouched down and offered it to the starving animal. To his surprise the animal looked at him before tentatively approaching and snatching the sandwich from his hand. As much as he wanted the fox to eat out of his hand, he didn't expect it to actually get close to him.

After the fox finished the sandwich it looked at Sasuke with hopeful eyes. Looking into those eyes Sasuke quickly made a decision. Scooping the fox up and gently wrapping his hand around its muzzle to keep it from biting him, he hurried towards his house. It was worth any punishment his father could give him to help the little fox.

After a week of consistently feeding the fox they had worked out a routine. The fox would hide in the tree when Sasuke would bring it food. After setting the food down Sasuke would hide behind a tree and wait for the fox to come out. After watching the fox eat and making sure it was finished eating, Sasuke could come out of hiding to retrieve the bowls. The fox would scurry up the tree whenever Sasuke would come out. After that first day the fox never let Sasuke near it. It would watch him from the tree as he retrieved the bowls and sat under the tree talking to the fox about how his day went.

Today was the same as usual for the two. The fox watched as Sasuke picked up the bowls and returned home to get ready for the academy, which the fox would hear all about when Sasuke brought it its afternoon meal. What was different was the young man who stepped out of the shadows after Sasuke disappeared. He waked up to the tree the fox kit was hiding in and looked right up at it.

"So you're what Sasuke has been hiding."

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><p>Don't expect my chapters to be long or updated very often. It you see any mistakes, kindly point them out since I don't have a beta.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The young fox looked down at the teenager and cocked his head to the side. He knew who this human was. It was Sasuke's older brother. He just never expected him to find out. As busy as the man seemed to be, the fox didn't think he would have the time to spy on his little brother or even have the desire to. The human always seemed cold and emotionless to the young fox. Granted he thawed a bit when it came to Sasuke but he never imagined Itachi would be curious. This particular human was a puzzle.

Itachi watched as the little fox looked him over. A small nearly unnoticeable smile appeared on his face. This little creature was the thing that was making his little brother so happy. He knew how the other children acted around Sasuke. They had acted the same around him when he was in the academy. They kept their distance and were overly polite when talking to him. Except those damn fan girls. Somehow their parents failed to teach their children proper manners and about personal space.

But now Sasuke had a friend. It didn't matter that it was a fox and not a human. That just meant it could never reveal any secrets his little brother chose to share with it.

The fox noticed the small smile on Itachi's face and was confused. _What was he smiling about?_ Glancing around to see if he saw anything funny the fox looked back at the human and tilted his head to the other side.

Noticing the cocked head the fox was looking at him with, Itachi chuckled. "It's nothing, little one. I'm just glad Sasuke's made a friend. Be a good friend and protect him. He's going to need you" he said as his face grew serious. Thinking of the events to come made him worried and sad. There was no way to protect Sasuke **and** Konoha. No matter what Itachi did, someone would be hurt. He only hoped this little fox could help Sasuke in the future and help ease his pain. Turning and walking away he spoke over his shoulder. "Your secret's safe with me, little one."

The fox watched Itachi walk away with puzzlement. _That is one confusing human. Why would Sasuke need __**my **__protection?_ He couldn't even protect himself yet. He wouldn't even get the beginning of his power for a few more years. Deciding to watch and see what happened, the kit crawled into a hollowed out piece of the tree trunk and went to sleep Sasuke wouldn't be back for hours.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The fox was awakened several hours later when a familiar smell reached his nose. It was the smell of blood his nose was detecting. What confused him was where it was coming from. For the smell to be this strong it had to be close and there had to be a lot of it. If someone was hurt they would have been taken to the hospital before the smell got this bad.

Jumping down from his hiding hole, the fox cautiously made his way to the shadow of the wall inclosing the Uchiha district. Concealing himself in the shadows the fox narrowed his eyes in suspicion. It was too quiet for this time of day. This place should be bustling with Uchiha's going about their business. Where was everyone?

Following the wall to Sasuke's house the fox peaked around the corner of the building. Not a soul was in sight. Was he missing something? Was there a festival he didn't know about? A party some where? But that wouldn't explain the smell of blood.

Scanning the street and rooftops for any threats and finding none the fox kit darted to an open window and leaped through. Quickly finding a hiding spot under a table he looked around to discover himself in Sasuke's kitchen. The fox froze and titled his ears forward to listen for any sounds to tell him if someone was coming.

Hearing nothing to indicate someone was in danger of discovering him (does that sound right?) the fox crept out from under the table and over to the doorway. Peaking around he saw an empty hallway with rooms branching off. Having never been in Sasuke's house before he wasn't sure what doorway led where.

To be perfectly honest he wasn't even sure what he was looking for or why he was even in here. It was unlikely that Sasuke was home yet since the academy just let out. He didn't have a real reason for being in the house besides that something seemed wrong. If something was wrong then he needed to know what it was in order to protect himself and Sasuke. Protecting Sasuke extended over into protecting his family. While Sasuke's dad seemed like an uptight over-expecting father he was still important to Sasuke. Sasuke's mother seemed okay and Itachi was interesting.

After finding his reason for being here the fox was just about to head down the hall when his ears caught the sound of the front door opening and closing. The foxes eyes widened in shock as its eyes quickly darted around the room looking for a clock. Spotting one on the wall he stared in horror at the time. _Sasuke's home!_ While he had been contemplating why he was even in the house, Sasuke had made it home from the academy. _Crap! Where did Sasuke go?_

Leaving all thoughts of stealth behind, the fox raced through the doorway and down the hall looking for Sasuke. Catching his scent near the front door he followed it as it led him further into the house along a different path. The smell of blood grew stronger the farther in the little fox went. He was surprised Sasuke couldn't smell it.

Finally catching up to Sasuke the fox kit slid to a stop behind his legs. Glancing over Sasuke to make sure he wasn't injured anywhere he sighed in relief at no sign of blood on him. Looking back at Sasuke's face the fox saw an expression of horror and shock. Following the boy's eyes the fox was also shocked and horrified by what he saw.

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><p>Again not a long chapter. I think you all know what comes next in the story. I don't know what Sasuke's house really looks like so it's rather vague. Again no beta so pointing out mistakes is appreciated.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lying on the ground in pools of blood were Fugaku Uchiha and his wife, Mikoto Uchiha. Never before had the little fox seen something so horrible. Death was a common occurrence in life but this death had no purpose. It wasn't to feed anyone or a kill or be killed situation. Neither human had a weapon near them so they couldn't have even defended themselves. So why were they dead? How? Who could do something like this to the proud Fugaku and his wife?

Movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention away from the bloody bodies and to the shadows where movement could still be seen. Stepping from the shadows was a sight the young fox would never forget. The figure was so blood spattered that it took a second to recognize who it was. The person's smell was being overpowered by the smell of blood and other fluids that the kit didn't recognize. It was actually Sasuke that figured it out first.

"Nii-san?" he asked in disbelief and hope. "What happened? Who did this?"

Itachi remained silent as he stared at his younger brother with cold, emotionless eyes. Blood dripped from the sword in his hand onto the floor, the only sound to be heard in the room.

Sasuke took a step back as he looked into his brother's eyes. Itachi had never looked at him like that before. He didn't look like his precious nii-san at the moment. He looked like a stranger. Sasuke clasped his hands in front of his chest to try to ward away the shiver that went down his spine as he stared at the figure across from him.

Finally Itachi spoke but it wasn't anything Sasuke was prepared to hear. "I killed them," he stated with cold detachment. A simple statement that changed everything.

Sasuke was shocked. What was Itachi saying? How could he kill them? They were their parents. His brother wouldn't do something like that. "I don't believe you," Sasuke said with as much conviction as he could though a tremble was heard in his voice. "You're lying!"

"Foolish little brother, look around you. Does it really look like I'm lying. I killed our parents with this very sword," he said raising the bloody sword up for Sasuke to see better. "This is their blood that is still dripping from it."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he took in the dark blood that was covering the sword. His gaze shifted to his brother's face then. Looking, he saw nothing but calm indifference. This wasn't right. Our parents are dead and he doesn't even care. Worse, he's claiming that **he** did it. Sasuke shook his head in denial at his brother's words.

"You're lying. You're lying, you're lying, you're lying!," he screamed as he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

With his eyes closed Sasuke missed the flash of remorse and pain that quickly entered and disappeared from Itachi's face before he once more became cold and detached. Steeling his resolve, Itachi knew he was running out of time. He had to be away before anyone discovered what had happened. But before that...

"I'm not lying, Sasuke. I killed them all. Every single one of our clan. I wanted to test myself. See how strong I had gotten. What better way to do that then to take on the clan that birthed me? I must say I'm rather disappointed in our clan. They weren't much of a challenge. Quite weak actually. The Great Uchiha Clan, not so great after all."

Sasuke looked up as his brother started speaking. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Shut up. Stop lying! Don't talk about them like that! They're our family! Shut up!_ Sasuke couldn't take hearing anymore. A look of rage crossed his face as he charged at his brother. "I'll kill you!"

Itachi easily dodged his attack. This was childs play compared to what he normally does. He continued to dodge Sasuke's rash and predictable attacks as the boy wore himself out. Finally Sasuke had to stop to catch his breath and that was when Itachi struck.

Grabbing his little brother by the front of the shirt, he lifted him up until their eyes were level. Pushing more chakra to his eyes, Itachi's eyes swirled as they changed into the Mangekyō Sharingan."Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me. And yet survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life, and when you have the same eyes as mine, come to me." Staring into his brothers eyes Itachi said only one word more, "Tsukuyomi." What followed was only viewed by Itachi and Sasuke as the older brother showed the younger how he slaughtered their clan, making Sasuke watch as he killed their own parents.

Seeing his friend being suspended by Itachi snapped the fox out of the shocked stupor it had been in since the confrontation began. Not knowing what the bigger boy was doing but knowing that it couldn't be good, the young fox charged at the ninja. Jumping up and clamping it's jaws around Itachi's wrist the fox bit down as hard as it could, tasting blood as his teeth pierced flesh.

Coming out of the ginjutsu Itachi dropped Sasuke and swung his arm to the side, flinging the fox off his arm and into a wall. The fox hit the wall with a thud with a softer one coming after it fell to the floor unconscious. Itachi walked over to make sure the fox wasn't dead before taking one last look at his brother and disappearing from the room, not to be seen by either of the pair for several years.

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><p>There's the Uchiha Massacre. I don't know how it really went because to be honest I was never interested in it. I know that Naruto didn't really do anything in this chapter but he was in shock for most of it. While he does see death in nature, there's always a valid reason for the deaths. Food, survival, old age. Not murder. And while Naruto may be the same age as Sasuke, he matures slower so he's having a harder time getting over the shock of seeing it.<p> 


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